A Greater Purpose
by paigenotpage
Summary: [AU] Frieza, Cell and the Androids, and now Kakarot were no longer. As a promise to himself Vegeta has decided to remain on Earth to train Gohan, the only other Saiyan in existence. In the meantime, all the Saiyan Prince desires is to train and to be alone... or is it? VegetaXOC
1. Prologue

**Bet you didn't expect me back so soon ;)**

**This is a prologue, so it will be very short. I felt it was necessary to set up this story!**

**Basic background info: This is an AU, so therefore it will not strictly follow cannon. Basically the Saiyan Saga, the Frieza Saga and the Android Saga all went according to cannon minus one big factor: Future Trunks does exist, but for the sake of the story he hasn't been born in the present time line yet. This fic will alter the Buu timeline slightly. In this fic there is a gap between the defeat of Cell and the Androids and the beginning of the Buu Saga, and that gap is where our story begins. **

**Let me know what you think, and enjoy :)**

* * *

Frieza had been destroyed, Cell and the Androids had been eliminated and planet Vegeta-sei was no longer. Apart from Kakarot, or Goku as the clown preferred to be known as, Vegeta was the last living full-blooded Saiyan. Unlike the rest of the Z-fighters, he had no home to return to. He had no family to speak of and not a dime to his name but those were all trivial things that the Prince had no concern with.

The thing that Vegeta was most concerned with was that he failed. He had failed in defeating Frieza, Cell and the Androids. He had failed in protecting his planet and his son from another time line. What angered him most of all was that he had failed to defeat Kakarot. He alone should have managed to defeat all of their enemies and then go on to defeat Kakarot so he could finally claim to be the strongest saiyan alive, but this destiny had been ripped away from him time and time again.

Not only did he seem to fail at every goal that he had ever set for himself, he now found that he was also stuck. He was stuck on this wretched mud ball of a planet to fulfill his royal duties. His planet may have no longer existed but his race, however endangered it may be, still existed with himself and Kakarot's son Gohan. He couldn't stand the brat as far as he could throw him but he owed it to his race and as much as he hated to admit it, he also owed it to Kakarot to ensure his survival. He would ensure that the brat would survive and receive proper training as he saw fit, but he would be doing it from afar.

After he bid goodbye to his future son that was leaving to go back to his own time line after being revived with the dragon balls, Vegeta had decided to leave Capsule Corporation for good. He had no desire to be anywhere near the ridiculous Brief family or any of the Z-fighters. He would remain on Earth and drop in on Gohan for a spar occasionally but he could care less about ever seeing the other Earthlings ever again.

Without even a parting word to anyone else Vegeta flew off immediately after his son left the Earth. He desired a desolate, heavily wooded area where he could train in peace away from anyone's prying eyes. He hated the dirt ball of a planet, but had to admit that he could think of many other places that were much less desirable. He wanted a place where he could truly be alone and train the hell out of himself in peace. If he wanted to pick a fight with some earthling animal, defeat it and then make dinner out of it then so be it. He would sleep in caves by night and train by day. It was the life of a predator, which no one seemed to understand that a predator was exactly what he was.

After what felt like hours the Saiyan Prince came across a mountainous area that was covered with dense vegetation and deep ravines that led to a large river. After circling the area a few times he found that the nearest town was miles away and beside what looked like an old fire tower there seemed to be no sign of human life.

He was utterly and completely alone, it was the one thing he truly wanted. It was perfect.


	2. Chapter 1

**Just to clear up a couple of things: I forgot to mention that Bulma and Vegeta didn't really have much of a relationship if any at all in this AU. Vegeta being Vegeta was a loner and spent most of his time training alone. We will have a few flashbacks of Vegeta's time at CC. Also our OC is a human :)**

**Thanks to Merifaye and Betterdays623 for your questions and reviews!**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

It had been such a very long time since Vegeta had been painfully hungry or tired. He had spent so much time living in the lap of luxury at Capsule Corp, it's no wonder that he had not surpassed Kakarot! He was so used to three meals a day that were so full that even a saiyan's hunger was satisfied. He had been accustomed to a hot shower and a soft bed to sleep in every night.

He was disgusted with how weak he truly had become. He hadn't even been out in the mountains for two full weeks and he had already thought more than once about visiting Capsule Corp for the ridiculous Brief woman to fawn over him. He was tired, he was hungry, and he was dirty like a true warrior should be. He built fires to stave off the bone-chilling cold nights and bathed in the ice cold rivers in the mornings. His meals consisted of whatever unfortunate animal happened to cross his path and the rest of his time he spent training. He was the greatest predator the Earth would ever face, and he would do well to remember that.

Currently Vegeta found himself at a severe disadvantage. Days ago, he stupidly misjudged the speed of a large ki blast he planned to deflect and it caught him square on his right side. He knew his right leg and arm were broken, and was pretty sure he had a few broken ribs as well. Even while doing Frieza's bidding he had access to a regeneration tank to heal whatever ailed him in a matter of hours. He knew that the Z-fighters had access to Senzu beans that would cure him instantly but as foolish as he may be he was bound by his pride. He was the last living full-blooded saiyan and he would not stoop down to a lower being's level and grovel for magical beans. He would and could heal just fine on his own, it couldn't take the body that long to heal naturally could it?

The proud Prince of Saiyans could not walk properly with his severely broken leg so with the little energy he had left he flew above the treetops to scout for sufficient shelter. Vegeta did not stay in the same place for more than one night at a time. He never moved very far, but on the off chance that a human came across his camp he made sure that he moved far enough away so that he would remain undiscovered. The last thing he wanted was interaction with the ignorant race.

Just as darkness began to fall over the mountains Vegeta came across the old watchtower he had flown over a week prior. He did not have the energy to build a sufficient shelter and the abandoned tower would be much better protection from the elements rather than being out in the open. He descended toward the tower and was surprised to realize it wasn't as abandoned as he thought. It was older but in steady shape. The door was locked, but easily fell apart when crushed in his palm. He opened the door to find one small room with a desk holding sort of communication device, a cot with an electric heater nearby and to his relief large rations of food. There was a door that led to a small bathroom that contained a reasonably clean toilet and sink. He walked back into the open area and judging by the fine layer of dust covering the desk he assumed it had been a few weeks at least since anyone had been by. Night had already fallen so he assumed he would be able to avoid any human contact till at least first light. The hungry, tired and injured Saiyan Prince turned on the heater, stretched out on the cot and dove into the plentiful amount of food.

* * *

Vegeta awoke much later to a searing pain in his leg and soft fingers prodding into his skin. Instantly on alert, he violently shoved away his would-be attacker with a snarl. The assailant who had been attacking him went flying across the small room and landed in a heap against the door with a resounding thump. Vegeta silently prided himself on how effective his evasive maneuver was in his current state.

He was surprised to hear the feminine groan of pain as his new enemy slowly rolled up onto their knees. Vegeta's eyes widened slightly as he took notice that his attacker was indeed a human female. She had long hair the color of chestnuts that was curtained around her face. Vegeta scoffed as he took notice of how thin and lithe her hands and wrists were that peaked out of her jacket as she pushed herself up onto her knees. She would be no match for him, she was much too frail.

Vegeta continued to calculate her power level and assess her movements with the eyes of a predator. She was a human, so therefore she would be of little or no concern to her. Even now in his weakened state he could finish her off with a flick of his wrist. The woman took a steadying breath and then pushed her hair away from her face to glance at her foe. The Prince was not prepared to find that he was assaulted by a woman, much less someone with such a fine face. She had small features and arresting green eyes the color of the trees that surrounded them. He couldn't help but think that if the Planet Trade Organization was still open he could have sold her for quite a pretty penny to some disgusting creature with an appetite for beautiful fae-like women.

He was even more surprised that when she opened her mouth to speak, this slip of a woman who had just a moment before been attacking him spoke with a soft musical voice. "Are you alright?"

Vegeta wanted to laugh. "You have just been caught in the act of attacking a royal Prince and you are asking _me _if _I'm_ alright? You are foolish."

The woman took a deep breath and pushed herself to her feet. Vegeta could tell that his blow must have done some damage because her breathing was off and she was slow to move. Her face was also very pale, but that could have come naturally. Again he thought of how pale women fetched the highest dollar on the market, for they were considered the most beautiful. He also thought of how his leg was still in a great deal of pain, even more than he was accustomed to, and he hated that the Prince of Saiyans lay on his sick bed like some sort of fool. It was no wonder she attacked him, he looked as though he was an easy target for some thieving human.

The woman cocked her head to the side in confusion and said, "Attacking a Prince? You are a Prince?"

Vegeta snorted and said, "I am Vegeta of planet Vegeta-sei, Prince of all Saiyans."

Vegeta was surprised as realization seemed to dawn on the woman and she nodded her head. "Alright Prince Vegeta, I'm going to need to see some identification. How much have you had to drink?"

Disgusted, Vegeta frowned even deeper. "I have no Earthling identification and you are speaking of Earthling alcohol. I have not touched a drop, it is a vile fluid that clouds the mind and slows your reflexes. As you can see my reflexes are completely intact as I stopped you from your attack."

The woman took a tentative step forward and stopped at Vegeta's visible tension at her move. "You keep speaking of an attack, is that what happened to you leg and arm?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes at the foolish Earthling. Was she trying to play dumb to step into his good graces? The gesture was futile, he was no fool. "Obviously I am speaking of your attack on my person. What happened to my leg and arm are not of your concern."

The woman closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them Vegeta was confused as her expression went from wary and alarmed to calm and commanding. "Okay Vegeta, I am going to come closer to you to point out a few things that are around your cot." She got down on her knees and began to crawl towards him. Vegeta thought she was crazy but he couldn't help but feel slightly more at ease that she was no longer towering above him. She got about a foot away from him and picked up a few things that were surrounding the cot, glancing up at him every few seconds… no doubt checking to make sure he wasn't about to throw her across the room again. The Prince was not concerned with her attacking him again, he knew she was well aware that he was much stronger than her. What he was concerned with was whatever the hell she was doing on the floor.

She started to show him various things that were around the cot that he had not left there the night before when he went to sleep. "My name is Emma. I'm a game warden and an emergency medical technician. This is antiseptic, cotton bandages, some medical tape. I wasn't attacking you. This is my station and I came up here to check a few things before we shut down the park for the winter and I found you here burning up with fever. Your leg and arm are broken as I'm sure you know, and your leg has gone without treatment long enough to become badly infected. What's your full name and where do you live? I want to let your family know that you are safe."

Vegeta merely blinked at her and said, "I've already told you my name is Vegeta. I have no home. My planet was blown into extinction, I am the last living of my race besides the half-breed that's running around."

The woman's eyes widened at his words and she narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. "Are you on any medication at all? Anything that would make you hallucinate?"

Vegeta was growing bored with the conversation and her questions. He hadn't realized he had fallen so weak until he pushed himself up to a sitting position on the cot. He held out his left hand and generated a bright blue ball of ki that surprised her so much she fell back on her heels and her mouth dropped open. Vegeta dispelled the ki and smirked at her reaction, now he had her attention. "Woman, I will say this one last time and you will do well to believe it for I have no reason to lie to Earthling scum. The only things I have ingested in my body are water and food. I am a Saiyan, _not _an Earthling. I could snap your neck with the flick of my wrist, the only reason I haven't yet is because as much as it pains me to admit, I am in a severely weakened state and don't need to waste precious energy on a weakling such as yourself. I have no use of you unless you have a Senzu bean tucked somewhere in your pocket or have a regeneration tank in your possession."

The woman said nothing through Vegeta's monologue. She was utterly still for a few moments after he finished and then spoke softly. "Not an Earthling, got it. I have no idea what a Senzu bean is or a regeneration tank is but I do know that you need to get out of this tower and into a hospital where you can be treated with fluids and antibiotics."

Vegeta felt a sudden urge to throw the woman again. "I am a warrior, I will not go crawling to some Earthling hospital for Earthling medicines. I have bounced back from injuries much worse than this." Vegeta decided not to add that all of his injuries had been healed by the tank or the bean, for all he knew he could very well need the Earthling medicines, how disgusting.

The woman sighed, Vegeta could tell that she was losing her patience with him. He almost wanted to laugh at how short tempered she seemed to be, not much unlike himself. "Okay, no hospitals for the warrior, but you can't stay here. We are going to have our first heavy snowfall tonight and the temperatures will drop below freezing. You will have to have your bone set so it can heal properly and you will need antibiotics. What do you suppose we do?"

Vegeta found that his eyes were getting heavy and his limbs felt like mush. His mind was also playing tricks on him and he was seeing two of her. Maybe the ridiculous female was right and he needed medical attention, but he would be damned if he would ever admit it to her. "We shall do nothing. I will heal on my own as I always have and you will leave and never cross my path again, or next time I may not feel so generous and take your life with me." Vegeta said plainly.

The woman's eyes darkened and she crossed her arms underneath her chest. "I'm not leaving you here to freeze to death. If you are in such a hurry to catch your death I will allow you to leave once I have you pumped full of antibiotics and a set leg but only if you can get me in touch with at least once person that can vouch your story. Then you are free to leave and get in more fights that leave you a little worse for wear. I'm an EMT, this is my job so let me do it."

Vegeta had to admire the woman's fighting spirit. She had to know now that he was much stronger than her but she still held her own in a verbal battle of wits. "You will set the leg here and I will give you the name of the half-human, half-saiyan that resides on Earth and then you will leave." Vegeta's words were beginning to slur together. Something wasn't right.

The woman shook her head. "Not a chance. You need the antibiotics which I have at my home, and I won't be able to get there and back out here before snow falls. You come with me, get me in contact with this person you know, and then you leave once you're set. That's my final offer." She looked down at the watch on her wrist and then looked up at him with a small smile. "It's not like you have a choice anyway. I had already given you a dose of tranquilizers just before you woke. You'll be out like a light in matter of moments."

Vegeta succumbed to the weight of his eyelids and couldn't help but smirk at the woman's tenacity. Just before he was pulled into a heavy slumber he pried his eyes open slightly to meet those of his human foe. "You win this round wench," he slurred out.

Emma smiled warmly and softly said, "Yes, I have a bad habit of doing that."


	3. Chapter 2

**Thanks to Merifaye, whowants2live4ever, Daritz, and Betterdays623 for your reviews! I'm glad you're liking the fic. I definitely plan on keeping our Prince in character, and drawing this one out a bit :)**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

The Prince awoke quickly from one of his nightmares. He shook his head groggily and rubbed a battle-worn hand over his face. He was disoriented, which was unusual for him. As a warrior you always had to be alert, especially during slumber for it was when you are most vulnerable.

Vegeta's eyes regained their focus and he realized he was not in the same tower he had fallen asleep in. He was in a small but warm room in a soft bed. Instantly alert he sat up quickly, much to the dismay of his pounding head. There was some sort of casting around his arm and leg that prevented them from moving properly. Once he remembered his broken bones everything came flooding back to him. He let out a low growl as he remembered the woman who had drugged him and forced him out of his shelter against his will. Once again he was disgusted by himself, overpowered and outsmarted by a mere slip of a human.

With a sneer he stood from the bed and ripped off the castings that bound his limbs with ease and tested the mend of his bone. He had no idea how long he had been out. The wench could have drugged him for days. His arm moved stiffly but seemed to be properly mended. His leg on the other hand left him with a slight limp, a severe blow to his pride. The leg accepted and held his weight but the pain was still quite severe. He did a few test laps of the room and allowed his anger to simmer inside of him. Once he was sure the leg would hold his weight he blasted through the door and went in search for the woman who he would make pay for her transgressions.

His ears were assaulted by a soft melody of instrumental music. He had to admit it was more pleasurable than the crap most of the humans listened to. He followed the sound through a hallway and came into a large living space that was wide open and full of windows. He sneered in disgust at the large amounts of snow covering the ground through the windows. He never understood Earth and its 'seasons.' Snow was useless and bothersome. The woman was nowhere in the vicinity so he walked through another doorway and found her attention was on a stove and she was talking through a communication device.

"No, he's here at my house. He was very adamant about not going to a hospital and the snow began to fall before I could get very far and I wasn't in the jeep with the snow chains. I never would have made it that far."

Vegeta stepped back into the shadows when he realized she was talking about him. He was surprised to find that she listened to him and he wasn't in an Earthling hospital, he had never known an Earthling to be trustworthy.

The woman stirred something in a huge kettle and the Prince found that the aroma was very pleasing. He took notice of her appearance. Her hair was tied back messily and she was wearing a large denim shirt and tight black cotton tights and her feet were bare. His observations were cut short as she dropped the stirring utensil unceremoniously.

"That's impossible." She said quietly. After a pause she spoke again. "Not human DNA, but comparable to human DNA. What does that even mean? How about the toxicology report?" She picked up her utensil and began to stir the pot again, Then spoke again after another pause, "You've got to be kidding me. Completely clean? I could have sworn the guy was high out of his mind. He kept going on about being a Prince of Sakens or something."

Vegeta decided then would be a good time to make his appearance. He took a few steps closer to her and when he was just behind her he spoke firmly, "End your conversation woman… now."

The woman gasped and dropped the communication device. She spun around to find that she was in extremely close proximity to the Prince. Her eyes were wide and after taking notice of his stern expression she quickly dropped her eyes from his. She turned from him and scrambled to pick up the phone she had dropped. "Sorry Mark, I burned myself. Hey look, I'm going to have to call you back later. I'm getting another call." She paused and rolled her eyes, "I know it's important. I'm sure I accidentally mixed up the vials and sent you the wrong one. I'll check in soon."

She ended the call and then turned her attention back towards the angry saiyan. Before she could even stand up straight Vegeta roughly pushed her up against the wall and held her there by her throat. He studied her face carefully as he held her. He wasn't using any force at all. He didn't want to hurt her, but he wanted to frighten her and make sure she never forgot the Prince of Saiyans. He watched as all the blood drained from her face and somehow she became even paler than before. Her eyes were wide and she was completely still. Vegeta continued to watch her as he spoke, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't snap your neck."

The woman's eyes grew to an impossible size and she began to tremble beneath him. Vegeta slackened his grip which proved to be a costly mistake on his part. Immediately as his fingers began to loosen on her neck she took her chance and made her move by bringing her knee up and hitting him in the one spot that seemed to be a weakness for any man of any race, right between his legs.

Once again she had taken him by surprise and he doubled over in pain. She pushed him back and grabbed the first weapon she could get her hands on, which just so happened to be a cast-iron skillet, and smashed him in the head. Even a man of his superior strength couldn't suppress the groan and throbbing pain the heavy cooking skillet had left on his head. He brought a hand to his head and opened his eyes to find the woman's face was flushed with anger and adrenaline and she had ran to the other side of the kitchen area where she kept a firm grip on the skillet. "What the hell is your God damned problem? You're a lunatic, you know that? Who the hell do you think you are?"

Vegeta had to admire her tenacity. He was so much stronger than her, and she knew it. Yet she wasn't going down without a fight. "That is a stupid question. I am Vegeta, Prince of Saiyans. Do not ask me again for I will not repeat it." As an afterthought he added, "You can put the skillet down. If I wanted to hurt you, you would already be dead. I'm finding you rather entertaining at the moment so I don't believe I will condemn you to death."

The woman let out a nervous chuckle. "Over my dead body will I ever put this skillet down. Has anyone ever told you that you've got a real sick sense of humor?"

"No one has ever made any comments on my humor, especially that it is sickly. You don't make any sense human." Vegeta said matter-of-factly.

Without warning the woman's face fell deathly pale again and the Prince stared at her in confusion. "Human," she whispered quietly. She brought her gaze back up to Vegeta and said, "Your DNA isn't human."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Yes, I am well aware of that."

The woman's eyes roamed over Vegeta's body and they began to widen again. She looked back up at him with a shocked expression. "Where are you casts? How are you standing right now? I just set them the day before yesterday."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at her frantic questions. "Saiyans are superior to humans in every way, including healing abilities. My species heals much quicker than your underdeveloped race." He decided to keep any comment of the horrific pain he was in to himself.

Vegeta watched as the woman's face began to regain a touch of color and he could tell her adrenaline was running out. She fell back against the wall and slid down till she was sitting on the floor. She rested the pan on her knees and took a deep breath. "You were telling the truth, you really aren't a human." She looked back up at him. "The last couple of days I've been pretty close to you. When you're cut you bleed red blood. I set your broken bones, wrapped your ribs and tended your cuts and essentially we appear to be the same. I always thought someone who was not of Earth wouldn't look so… well, human."

Vegeta sneered at her comparison. "Make no mistake woman, we may appear similar but appearances can be deceiving. I am stronger than one thousand Earth men of superior strength."

The woman sighed and ran a hand over her face wearily. "My name is Emma, stop calling me woman. Didn't you say there are others like you?"

Vegeta felt himself drifting towards the delicious smell of food that was assaulting him. He couldn't concentrate on the woman's words, hunger had taken over. From what she said he had gone days without food and he was beginning to feel the effects. "I will call you whatever I like. What is in this cooking kettle?"

Emma jumped up suddenly like she had forgotten something and ran towards the stove. She stirred the contents in the pot and visibly relaxed after a few turns. "Thank goodness it didn't scald. I figured you would wake up soon so I made some chicken soup and baked some fresh bread." She stepped back and opened the oven door and pulled out a huge pan of golden brown bread. The aroma was so pleasing Vegeta felt his mouth water. She glanced at him over her shoulder and motioned towards the table. "Go ahead and sit down and I'll get you set up. You can explain everything while you eat."

Vegeta scoffed at her. "I am the Prince of Saiyans, why should I listen to your orders wench?"

She rolled her eyes at him and said, "The woman cooks, the man eats and that makes the man happy so he does what the woman wants. Isn't that a universal code? It should at least earn me a few answers."

She placed a large bowl of soup and a chunk of bread on a platter and placed it at the seat closest to him. She then sat down across from his place setting and stared at him while he glared at her. He uncrossed his arms and then sat down quickly. He took one bite of bread and had to fight back the urge to sigh. At that moment that bread was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. He glanced back up at the woman who was still staring at him and smirked. "You've left your skillet on the floor against the wall. Have you found that you aren't afraid of me and left yourself defenseless? Not wise little one."

Vegeta was surprised when the woman's smile beamed back at him. She lifted one of her hands that had been tucked under the table to reveal she was holding a large chef's knife. "I'm wiser than you think. I am anything but defenseless. Touch me again and I won't hesitate to use this. Now, start talking."

Vegeta's smirk grew and he turned his attention back to his food. It was very rare that anything ever slipped by him but once again he was finding himself had by the little woman. There was no doubt that she had spunk and Vegeta was coming to realize that she was much braver than he initially thought. He was very perceptive, and he saw her as a timid weakling, but he knew without a doubt she would use that knife against him without hesitation if she felt threatened. Interesting, he thought. So interesting.


	4. Chapter 3

**Thanks to Spellweaver10 and Betterdays623 for your review! I revised this because I wasn't 100% happy so if you've already read it please re-read. I should have the next chapter up this evening!  
**

**Leading us up to some good stuff :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Okay so let me see if I can get this straight. So you're from Planet Vegeta, which also happens to be your name. You're the Prince of a race called the saiyans that are all but extinct besides yourself and a half-blooded saiyan that lives here on Earth and you're pissy because his father, Carot Top is dead and you didn't get to kill him yourself." Emma shook her head and said, "You know you're completely insane right? I should probably have you committed."

Vegeta rolled his eyes at the rude woman. "His name is Kakarot, and I don't need your help with commitment. I've always been committed to all of my goals."

To his surprised the chestnut-haired fae woman laughed at his comment. "Never mind about being committed. You obviously have a firm grasp on that one." She smiled again and then said, "So lets just say I've gone completely crazy and I believe you. Where can we find the son of Kaka-whatever?"

Vegeta growled and slammed his fist on the table. "His name is Kakarot, is that really so far beyond your comprehension wench? I've already told you Gohan lives on Earth."

Emma watched him as he suddenly jumped from his seat and began to pace the floor in front of her. She was intrigued by the way he moved, it was more like a prowl than a pace. "You know Earth isn't exactly the size of my backyard. Can you give me some specifics? A street name?"

Vegeta paused in his prowl and sent her a stern look. "What the hell do I know about street names? He's on Earth. Isn't that good enough for you?"

Emma rose an eyebrow and crossed her arms under her chest. She was getting just as irritated with him as he was with her. "I see you aren't an eye for details. Can you at least give me a damn continent?"

Vegeta began to growl with anger with every word she spoke. "You impertinent woman! If it will get you to leave me the hell alone I will show you there myself!"

Now Emma was just confused. "So you have no idea where this Gohan person lives, but you can bring me there?" Emma fought down another bout of anger and said, "How do you suppose we get there? We've been completely snowed in for about 8 hours. Neither of us will be able to drive anywhere even with the snow chains till we get plowed out, and that could be days."

Vegeta rolled his eyes at her incessant babble. "We will fly of course."

Emma rubbed a weary hand over her face. She wanted to laugh, she might have just come across a man that's just as ornery and stubborn as she was. "Being a Prince I guess you're used to the high-class travels, but I don't have access to a plane."

Vegeta turned to her with a smirk and said, "Who said anything about flying machines?"

Emma opened her mouth to let out some smart-mouthed retort but was quickly cut off as Vegeta's feet left the ground and he began to levitate in front of her. She stood up and stepped closer to him. He stared at her with a mocking smirk as she stooped in front of him and ran her hand under his feet to see that he was indeed levitating.

Emma immediately straightened and turned away from him. She grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge and poured a quick glass. She turned back to him after taking a long sip and said, "Okay. So the prince can fly. You've got my attention now. Any other little surprises you've got for me?"

Vegeta's smirk deepened. He enjoyed having the upper hand around the human species. It was also refreshing to be around someone that was in awe of him. All of the people of Earth should be falling to their knees in praise to the Saiyan Prince who extended them mercy and allowed them all to live. He had spent so much time around Kakarot and the Z-fighters that they had come to accept him as if he was one of them. Vegeta wanted to sneer, he was above all of them and he would do well to remind them all of that. Perhaps a visit with Kakarot's brat was in order, not only to get the woman off of his back but to throw him through a good round of training to keep the child on his toes. He was the Prince of Saiyans after all, it was his duty.

Vegeta glanced at the woman and said, "We leave at once."

Emma nearly dropped the glass she was holding as Vegeta turned on his heel and stalked from the room. She quickly regained her composure and followed on his heels quickly. "Are you trying to tell me that _you _are going to _fly _us there?" When she realized the stubborn male was ignoring her she quickly skipped in front of him and stood facing him with her hands on her hips. She had a stern look on her face that stopped the Prince in his tracks. "Beside the fact that you are completely insane, you _are _injured if you remember correctly. You have a broken leg, arm, and several fractured ribs."

Vegeta stared down at the woman dumbly. "You obviously do not listen well woman. Saiyans heal faster than humans as I've told you. My health is of no concern to you."

Emma threw her hands into the air and shouted, "I listen just fine! I have had less than an hour to process that you not human, you have super-healing abilities, a major superiority complex and on top of everything you can fly! Just days ago I found you unresponsive and burning up with fever, for a few moments I wasn't even sure you were alive when I first came across you and now you're all, 'Emma, come and fly away with me'. Give me a minute for my brain to catch up here!"

With his time spent at Capsule Corp Vegeta found that he was used to being yelled at by someone, usually the blue-haired wench. He found it interesting how this woman did not seem to yell in anger, but in frustration and concern. She seemed to be genuinely concerned with his well-being. Concern was not an emotion Vegeta was familiar with and it made him uncomfortable. He calmly watched as her face changed through her rant. Humans had the most enigmatic facial expressions. This specimen in particular was almost enjoyable to watch. Her face went from ghost-white shock to reddened with anger in a split second. When she fell silent her breathing had escalated slightly and her face was still flushed.

Vegeta had learned over the years that when the female species started yelling it was best to just let them continue to ramble until they tired themselves out. After she was silent for a few moments Vegeta wordlessly walked to the front door and opened it. He stepped outside and she followed him after she slipped on a pair of boots and slipped into a jacket. He looked over at her and said, "Are you quite finished?"

Emma tossed her head back and let out a grunt of frustration. "I guess it's not only Earthling men that are incredibly stubborn."

Vegeta rolled his eyes and said, "You talk too much woman." He then quickly pulled her into an embrace which led her to let out a squeak of surprise and stare up at him with her wide forest-green eyes. Vegeta smirked at her and then quickly shot off into the sky

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity Emma finally felt her feet touch the ground though she made no move to slacken her death grip she had on the Prince. Vegeta had immediately let go of the woman as soon as they landed outside of the Son home and stared down at her as she continued to hold him tightly. "You can let go now woman, as you can see you have landed safely."

Emma took a staggering breath and lifted her face a few inches from the saiyan's muscular chest to mumble out, "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I can't. I forgot how to make my limbs work."

Vegeta rolled his eyes at the ridiculous woman and pulled her arms from around him. She immediately started trembling and Vegeta wondered if her legs would hold her weight. Moments later his thoughts came to fruition and he caught her arms as she stumbled, damn weaklings.

Emma finally began to gain her footing and she finally looked around to take in her surroundings. There were in a quiet wooded glade, not much unlike the one she called home. Not far from where she was standing there was a small home where two women and a young teen were running out of. Emma quickly straightened herself away from Vegeta and watched as the trio approached them.

"Vegeta, is that you? What are you doing to that poor woman!" Vegeta winced at the grating voice that greeted him, it was a voice he knew all too well and part of the reason why he was so keen on leaving Capsule Corp. He expected Kakarot's mate to be there, but not the Brief woman.

Vegeta was surprised to hear Emma speak before he had a chance to open his mouth. "He hasn't done anything to me, I'm just a little overwhelmed with flying." Emma stepped closer to the blue-haired woman and extended her hand. "I'm Emma."

Bulma raised her brow at the woman and stepped forward to greet her. "I'm Bulma Brief, and this is Chi-Chi and Gohan," she said while gesturing to the woman and boy behind her. "Are you sure you're alright? You look as though you've seen a ghost."

Was she alright? With all of the events that had transpired over the past few days she felt as though she didn't have her head screwed on straight. She had always been a conservative woman. Always ate three balanced meals a day, worked out regularly. Never anything more than a small kiss after the first date and never invited a man into her home. She had spent her whole life not only wary of men but of strangers in general and here she was flying around with an alien Prince who could easily snap her in two. Now she was being asked if she was alright? Emma couldn't suppress the small laugh that passed through her lips at the woman's question and she said, "Sure. I guess you could say I'm alright. Apparently I've completely lost my mind, but I'm alright."

The trio stared at her questioningly and beside her Vegeta was losing his patience. "Shut up woman! Obviously she is standing, so she is alright! Gohan, tell this wretched woman that I am the Prince of Saiyans so she will leave me in peace and then we will train."

Everyone stared at Vegeta open-mouthed and it was Bulma who broke the silence. "I can see you're as rude and over-bearing as ever. Obviously this woman is scared half to death, you probably kidnapped her!"

Vegeta looked over at the blue-haired woman. "Woman I have dealt with your smart mouth for years. I have no more patience to tolerate your insubordination. You and everyone else on this planet is at my mercy, you should show me some respect for allowing you to continue to breathe."

Emma glanced between the two as they both seemed to get more and more angry. Bulma seemed to back down slightly as she looked away from him and crossed her arms under her chest. "All I'm saying is you show up here with a girl who is pale as a sheet with no explanation of who she is and where she comes from. What exactly are we supposed to think?"

Vegeta began to growl and Emma felt that she should probably step in and break the tension. "Really, I haven't been kidnapped. I found Vegeta a few days ago and set his broken bones. I'm an emergency medical technician and seeing his super-human healing abilities, strength and not even mentioning the fact that he can fly and hearing his seemingly far-fetched story he indulged in my need for an explanation, that's why I'm here."

Emma frowned as Bulma rose an eyebrow, "You set his broken bones? I bet he didn't like that one."

Emma had to smile, it was obvious that this Bulma woman did seem to know a little about the surly Prince. "Yeah, he made it kind of obvious when he threw me across the room."

From behind Bulma, Chi-Chi scowled. "Sounds like Vegeta alright."

Vegeta detested being discussed like he was some sort of fly on the wall. He was tired of feeling like his every move was being dissected and examined and that he was found left wanting. Vegeta had always been a loner, but these people and their mocking attitudes had pushed him into complete seclusion. Instead of fighting back he had spent so much time preparing for Cell and the Androids that he just let it happen. These people acted like they themselves had not bore witness to the destruction he had caused. He had even killed a few of their own with no mercy and he could do it again, right then and there. With Kakarot gone he was the strongest being in the Universe, so what was stopping him?

Vegeta stepped closer to the women and said, "I have given you all pardons for your atrocious behavior in the past, but I will not tolerate it any longer. This is your last warning. I have no feelings towards whether you all live or die. I have killed your kind before and don't think I would hesitate to do so again and start right here with you all."

Emma quietly listened to his monologue and started to feel a bit uneasy as he continued. "You've killed before?" she asked quietly.

Vegeta turned to address her but Chi-Chi stepped in. "Come inside, it's cold out here and you probably need to sit down. I can make you a cup of tea." Being the wife to a saiyan, Chi-Chi was no stranger to how powerfully destructive they could be, even when they weren't trying to be.

Vegeta looked away from the women, he was content with the way that Kakarot's mate feared him as he should be feared. Fear was one of the few emotions the Prince of Saiyans could understand. He stepped around the three to assess Gohan. He crossed his arms and peered down at the younger saiyan. "You have not been training. We have catching up to do."

Gohan looked down at his hands and shuffled his feet. "Um, okay."

Vegeta pulled the boy's chin up till his eyes looked up into his own. "You will look at me when you address me boy." Gohan gulped and Vegeta spoke loudly enough for the women to hear. "You are a half-saiyan correct?"

Gohan cocked his head to the side in confusion but quickly straightened at Vegeta's glare. "Yes I am."

Vegeta nodded. "You are I are the only saiyans left on Earth, you know that our home planet has been destroyed? Also, most importantly, you recognize me as your royal Prince?"

Gohan nodded his head and said, "Yes sir."

Vegeta nodded, pleased with his answers. He turned back towards Emma and said, "There is your proof woman. Now leave, I have training to do."

Emma frowned at the Prince's back. "Wait, where are you going? How am I supposed to get home? I don't even know where I am!"

Vegeta glanced back towards her and said, "That is not of my concern."

Without another word he took off in flight with Gohan leaving Emma staring open-mouthed in his wake. Chi-Chi sighed and placed a hand on Emma's arm to catch her attention. Emma looked over at the woman and she motioned towards the house. "You better come inside, there's probably a few things that you need to know."


	5. Chapter 4

**Thanks to Merifaye and Spellweaver10 for the reviews!**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

Emma felt like her brain was going to explode with the barrage of information that she had just been dealt: All of the times their world had almost become extinct. The tyrant Frieza, who had in fact killed Vegeta, but was resurrected by magical orbs called dragon balls. The handful of androids that had the power to take over the world, and would have if it wasn't for the few saiyans who stopped them. The unborn son of Vegeta who had traveled from an alternate time line in a time machine to help them defeat the monsters that threatened their world.

What was most alarming to Emma was learning of the horrible life that Vegeta had lived that everyone seemed to wave off. His planet and all of his people were all but extinct. His father, King Vegeta, had given him to a powerful ice-jin, the self-proclaimed 'Emperor of the Universe', to do his bidding. He had done terrible things, eradicated entire species, planets and solar systems and maybe he enjoyed it, but it was through the orders of another that all of these great evil things had transpired. Emma could imagine that taking orders from anyone went against everything that a Royal Prince should stand for.

It was almost no wonder that Vegeta acted the way that he did. He had spent his entire life under the thumb of someone else. When he was finally free from the tyrant that all but owned him, he found that yet again there was someone else that was above him, not in rank but in strength.

Emma was very perceptive and throughout all of the information she was given about Vegeta she had picked up on a pattern. Most of his life was spent under Frieza, fighting against and with Kakarot and even when they finally defeated his most-hated rival it was done so by his future-son. When fighting the ultimate battle against Cell it was the younger boy Gohan who had defeated the android. Vegeta had always been second best, and that had to have been a large strike against his pride, yet these two women spoke of it like it was no big deal.

Emma peered up from her cup of tea after a few moments of silence. She turned towards Bulma and said, "I don't understand, he lived with you for years. Why is he all but homeless now?"

Bulma shrugged and took another drag on her cigarette. "Who knows? It's not like he actually spoke to anyone while he was there. He spent his time doing three things: training, eating, and more training. I don't even think he slept. Once the androids were defeated and Trunks left for his own timeline, Vegeta vanished."

Chi-Chi sipped her tea and looked over towards Emma. "The one goal that he had set for himself was to surpass Goku, and I think once he realized that Goku intended to stay in Other World Vegeta decided to leave." She paused and then said, "I think the only reason he hasn't left Earth is because of Gohan. Gohan is the last saiyan left, and he intends to train him since Goku isn't here."

Emma nodded her head and said, "It's an honorable thing to do."

Bulma stared at Emma and said, "The man hasn't an honorable bone in his body, it's more like selfish pride."

Emma wanted to argue with the woman but felt that there was no point. Maybe it's because she was an outsider looking in, but Vegeta was not the horrible monster that they all made him out to be. No, he was no saint and yes he did have blood on his hands, but they treated him as if he was a pariah. He was the very last of his race, he didn't fit in anywhere on Earth because he is not _of _Earth. Didn't they see that? They all expected him to drop everything he ever knew and become one of them but that just wasn't in his cards. Emma merely nodded her head and said, "We are all allowed our own opinions."

Both of the women glanced over at her in confusion but Emma was paying more attention to the clock rather than them. "I didn't realize that I've been here for so long. I've got to get home before nightfall. I'm on the clock tonight."

"Didn't you say you were snowed in? How does that work? Chi-Chi asked, genuinely interested.

"I won't be out in the field until the snow is plowed to my cabin, but I take incoming 911's and dispatch people who are closer to town." Emma explained.

"It must have been scary, planning on spending a few hours in the watch tower but opening the door to find a half-conscious saiyan instead." Bulma said.

Emma found the corner of her mouth curling up into a smile. "It's been an interesting few days, I can tell you that."

Both of the women smiled and Bulma laughed. "Come on, I flew my plane over here to check on Chi-Chi so I can drop you home. There's no telling how long Vegeta will keep Gohan out and it's very likely he would just leave you here anyway."

Emma stood up and said, "Thanks Bulma I appreciate it." She turned towards Chi-Chi and handed her the empty cup. "Thank you both for the conversation and the tea. It's been quite the eye-opener."

Chi-Chi smiled as she walked with the women out to Bulma's plane. "I was married to a saiyan for years before knowing what he really was. Trust me, I can understand the confusion."

Emma smiled at her and said, "Could you relay a message to Vegeta for me if you see him? Just let him know that my spare room is much warmer than the watchtower and he's open to it. I'll stay out of his way."

Chi-Chi looked over at her suspiciously but agreed to pass on the message and waved goodbye to the pair as they took off into the sky.

* * *

It had been days since she had left Chi-Chi's home with Bulma and she returned to her cozy cabin in the mountains. There had been no word from Vegeta and much to her chagrin Emma checked the spare bedroom every morning to find that the bed had not been slept in.

She was better off, she told herself as she began to prepare her breakfast. He was a bit of excitement to break up an otherwise monotonous routine she had set for herself over the years, but the allure of excitement always wore off. She poured herself a second cup of coffee as she powered up her laptop. And really, she reasoned with herself again, she didn't have the time or inclination to babysit an alien with a superiority complex. He was a loner, much like herself. They would very likely never cross paths again.

Emma sighed as she checked the weather. Another day of steady snow meant another day stuck in the cabin. She honestly enjoyed her cozy home tucked in the mountains but even she was prone to cabin fever. They wouldn't begin to plow out the mountain roads until the snow stopped, and who knows when that would be.

Emma turned on her emergency phone line that would soon open for her dispatch shift and decided to skip breakfast, which was really out of character for her, and take her phone and a second cup of coffee into her sun room.

After a few hours of dispatch she found that she was growing restless. She decided a round of target practice was exactly what she needed to bring her out of her funk. She grabbed her bow from the mud room and went out to the back of her yard where her targets were set up. Emma had been fascinated with archery since she was a young girl learning how to properly hold a bow in girl scouts. It was a form of protection, a way to provide food, and an excellent way to improve hand-eye coordination.

After she let the first few arrows fly she smiled as they found their target easily. She was just pulling back her fifth shot when a familiar voice rang out behind her. "That is an interesting weapon you are firing woman."

Emma whipped around so fast she felt like she had given herself whiplash. Standing in front of her with his signature scowl was none other than the Prince himself. Emma let out the breath she was holding. "You scared the crap out of me, for a moment I thought I was actually going to have to use this to defend myself."

Vegeta grunted and said, "Your aim is spot on. If I wasn't so fast you would have hit your mark. Too bad your projectiles are no match for a saiyan. What is this primitive weapon you yield called?"

Emma peered at him curiously. "That sounded suspiciously like a compliment, and it's called a bow and the projectiles are arrows."

Vegeta sneered and moved closer to Emma to examine the weapon she held. "Nonsense. No matter how perfect your aim may be there is no way a weakling such as yourself could do any damage to me. When you can cause me actual harm, I will then compliment you."

Emma suppressed an eye roll as she held out the bow to Vegeta to examine. She studied him closely as he examined her weapon. His clothing was filthy, but he himself was relatively clean. All of his bones seemed to be in tact and he looked mostly unharmed save for a few scratches here and there. "Why are you here?" Emma blurted out before she could stop herself.

Vegeta glanced at her for a moment before he turned his attention back to the bow. "You offered me shelter, I am here to take it," he said simply. He handed her back the bow and added, "This is an insufficient weapon. I don't see how it could bring harm to even the slightest creature."

Emma decided not to push the Prince about his comment on shelter. Chi-Chi had obviously relayed his message and he had listened. At least for the time being she would know that he would have a secure shelter. She smiled at him suddenly and said, "You'd be surprised. I think I'll use this to catch dinner."

Vegeta looked up at her and simply said, "Show me."

* * *

"You know if you are in such dire need of food I could simply fly above the treeline, find an animal of sufficient size and blast it." Vegeta said.

Emma sighed as Vegeta made yet another negative comment about their 'hunt.' They had been in the same tree for hours and not one deer had crossed their path. Emma couldn't help but feel a little let down as she had hoped to quickly shoot down a deer to show off to the saiyan. He had constantly expressed how little he thought of her 'primitive weapon' and she thought that she would shoot down her kill with ease and then smirk over at the stupid saiyan and make some witty remark about it, flip her hair and have him lug the huge animal back to the cabin. Yet her plan had backfired and the Prince was becoming more and more smug while she became more and more sullen.

Just as the Prince opened his mouth to make what Emma thought would be another rude remark she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand at attention. Emma brought her fingers to the saiyan's lips to shush him and they both jumped at the slight electric shock that occurred when her fingers brushed his skin.

Vegeta opened his mouth to tear into her for her actions when he noticed the sharp look of awareness in her eyes as she scanned the area. He would notice the glint in her eyes anywhere, it was the piercing stare of a hunter in action. It was interesting to see it come over her face when he had always found her so timid. He watched as her eyes widened at something that was over his shoulder. He turned to look and saw that there was a large horned animal mere feet away from them. He turned back to her and watched her pull an arrow from behind her back, set and aim it at the creature with a silence that impressed even him. She sucked in a deep breath and as she exhaled she let the arrow fly. The arrow found it's target easily and the beast gave a grunt and took off down the path.

Emma smiled widely and looked over at Vegeta to find that he was already staring at her. "How's that for an insufficient weapon? That deer had to be clear over 200 pounds, he's got enough meat on him to keep me fed through the whole winter."

Vegeta nodded and said, "Again, your aim was dead on. My way would have been more sufficient, especially since the creature ran off."

Emma was far to happy to stay on guard around the Prince in that moment and rolled her eyes playfully at him. She jumped down from the tree limb and smiled up at him. "It's called tracking, I'm sure you've heard of it. Now let's go find him, and no flying. That's cheating!"

* * *

Emma turned on the radio and listened to the news while she prepared dinner. Vegeta was making use of the shower while his clothing was being laundered. She thought about the events that had transpired the past few weeks and shook her head. Everything she was doing was so out of character for herself, but somehow it just kind of clicked into place. She knew so much, yet so little about the Saiyan Prince. She thirsted for more knowledge about him, but knew that he would not give it to her freely. In the mean time, she would bide her time well. She would stay out of his way and she was sure he would stay out of hers, but she would make good use of the little time they spent crossing paths.

She was pulled out of her thoughts as the man of the hour walked into the kitchen freshly showered and clothed. He looked around at the table and frowned, "Where is the food woman?"

She glanced over at him and then looked at the kitchen timer. "Two more minutes." The Prince huffed and tossed himself down into a seat to wait. Emma turned back to the stove and concentrated on the radio. After listening to the current advertisement she smiled over at Vegeta. "You know you should enter the tournament."

Vegeta glanced over at her and said, "What are you going on about?"

Emma suppressed an eye-roll and gestured toward the radio. "The World Martial Arts Tournament. It's not for a while yet but the registration begins soon."

Vegeta ignored her and focused on the radio advertisement. Emma pulled the food out of the oven and Vegeta scoffed as the ad ended. She served him a plate and looked at him questioningly. "There is no point, none of them are a match for me."

Emma smiled to herself as she knew what wold goad any man, "That's too bad. I was interested in watching you fight." Vegeta paused momentarily with his fork halfway to his mouth but quickly resumed eating without a word. Emma turned from him and bit back her smile. He might not have said anything, but he was definitely considering it. She figured a man like him would take any opportunity to show off. Just as she was about to join Vegeta at the table her phone rang. She frowned as she grabbed it, she wasn't expecting anyone. She sighed slightly when she saw the caller ID. "Hey Mark," she said into the receiver.

She kept her responses short as he questioned her about the weather, the supposed 'switched vial' that was proof of Vegeta's non-human DNA, and even got down to what was for dinner. "Oh, well I shot a deer today, so we're having stew."

There was a slight pause and Emma winced slightly as Mark was very keen to pick up the 'we're' she accidentally let slip. "Um yeah, it's the guy from the watch tower." Emma glanced over at Vegeta but he was paying no attention to her, he was solely focused on his food. "No, he just stopped in." Then much to her annoyance he insisted that he take the snowmobile and drop some supplies by since the snow would be letting up and they would soon be plowing out to the cabin. She knew there would be no talking him out of it. "Yeah I guess you're right. I need some anti-biotics, a few splints, antiseptic and some wraps. I appreciate it. I'll see you in a few."

Emma ended the call and sighed as she sat down to eat. "I will make myself scarce after I finish my meal." Vegeta said without looking up.

Emma paused from eating and glanced up at him. "I figured you would anyway, but why the announcement?"

Vegeta sneered. "I have sensitive hearing. I heard your conversation, I have no desire to be privy to your human mating rituals."

Emma choked on the piece of meat that she was in the act of swallowing and began coughing uncontrollably. Vegeta rolled his eyes and reached over and gave her a hard thump on the back which dislodged the meat so she could breathe. She took a sip of water and then stared at the Saiyan who had immediately gone back to eating. "Mating rituals? Me and Mark?" She laughed loudly and said, "Yeah, okay. Sure. Over my dead body."

Vegeta put down his fork and gave her his full attention. "What other reason would a man have to call on a woman?"

Emma wanted to laugh but she bit her lip to hold it in. "That's not always how it works Vegeta. You're here now and we are most definitely not, err… mating."

Vegeta scoffed and said, "As if I would ever mate with a human."

At that Emma did laugh and said, "Damn, and I was hoping to have a few half-saiyan babies running around here."

Vegeta's eyes grew wide and Emma's face flushed furiously when she realized that he was taking her seriously. She shook her head and laughed nervously, "Oh God Vegeta, I'm totally joking." After a moment Vegeta turned his attention back to his food and Emma tried to staunch her embarrassment. After a moment she decided to change the subject, "As for me and Mark, you can make yourself scarce if you prefer but he and I are _definitely _a no-go."

Emma was surprised when Vegeta smirked at her. "I may not make myself scarce after all, I have a feeling this may turn out to be quite entertaining."

Emma opened her mouth to ask him what he meant but was cut off by the doorbell. She shot him one last questioning glance and then left him to answer the door.


	6. Chapter 5

**I'm so sorry I've been MIA for a week, I've been violently sick, but I am back in action!**

**Thanks to Merifaye, whowants2live4ever, Spellweaver10, and Applejax XD for your reviews!**

* * *

Vegeta watched as the fae-woman opened the door to greet the human male. He could tell his power levels were weak, even for a human. He stepped into the door and smiled warmly at Emma. Vegeta smirked, the woman may have no intention of mating with the male but his pheromones spoke volumes on his intentions.

"Hey Em, how are you holding up?" Vegeta knew that the man knew he was there. He was making an obvious point of pretending like he wasn't there. Vegeta crossed his arms and leaned against the wall to watch the pair.

Emma smiled slightly and said, "Honestly Mark, I'm fine. This isn't my first rodeo. You know I've had to hunker down for much longer than this in the past."

Mark turned till his back was facing the saiyan, trying to make their conversation more private. Vegeta laughed quietly to himself, there wasn't anywhere in this house he could go to be completely private. He would be able to hear him quite clearly wherever he went. "Well, I just wanted to see you for myself and make sure you're okay."

Emma frowned and then glanced at Vegeta. He knew she was going to try to drag him into her conversation and he shook his head slightly, he wanted no part in her social life. He knew she read his expression quite clear yet he could see the mischief in her eyes. "Vegeta, come here and meet Mark."

Vegeta couldn't believe her audacity. He was the Prince of all Saiyans, not some pawn to be used to break the tension. He raised his brow at her and stayed rooted to the spot. Emma ignored him completely and walked toward him. She then let lose one of her brilliant smiles that always seemed to catch him off guard. It really was a shame the Planet Trade Organization was closed, he could have gotten any price he asked for a beauty like her.

It was then that the human male finally looked his direction. Vegeta was coming to find that quite a few things really were Universal. Every world he had ever been to had barter systems, they all appreciated delicious food, they all engaged in physical combat. The look in this pitiful human's eyes he would notice anywhere for it was the same between any species on any planet in any galaxy. It was the look of pure male challenge, in its most elemental form.

If there was one thing a saiyan never did back down from, it was a challenge.

* * *

Emma watched as a scowl settled on Vegeta's face and he pushed himself off the wall. She held her breath as he stepped up to Mark and eyed him carefully. Mark, to his credit, straightened to his full height and extended his hand to shake Vegeta's. "So you're the man in the watch tower? Pleased to meet you." Vegeta raised an eyebrow and stared down at Mark's hand but made no move to uncross his arms and shake the man's hand. Emma was beginning to wonder if perhaps drawing attention to Vegeta to throw the attention off of herself was a bad idea after all.

Mark cleared his throat and awkwardly shoved his hands into his jean pockets. "We had a little mix-up on your DNA, glad to see that you're an ordinary human after all."

Emma wasn't sure if she wanted to smack herself or Mark in the head more. She had really done it now. She knew Vegeta well enough to know that being called 'an ordinary human' was sure to be a great insult to him. Emma felt her mouth drop open when Vegeta merely smirked and said, "Yes, that would appear so wouldn't it."

Emma eyed the saiyan carefully. She wasn't stupid, and she knew that he was up to something. Vegeta gazed intently at Mark making both him and her extremely uncomfortable. Mark turned from the saiyan and brought his attention back to Emma. "You know the snow should stop tomorrow and then the plows will be coming through so you can get back out in the field." He turned back to Vegeta and said, "I'm out on a snowmobile now, I can give you a lift back home if you'd like. I'm sure you're anxious to get back to reality."

Vegeta wanted to laugh at the puny human who boldly assumed he was so clever. "Emma has taken great care of me. I assume she would not want me to leave until I am fully healed."

Emma's eyes widened at the smirking saiyan. He was enjoying himself she realized. Leave it to the Prince of Saiyans to find amusement in making her uncomfortable. Well, she thought. Two could play that game. She smiled at him and said. "Personally I find that you are quite well Vegeta. Perhaps you wish to stay because you enjoy my company?"

Damn it all, Vegeta thought to himself. Naïve as she was, she was still sharp as a tack. Before he could think of a response the annoying male began to speak again. "Wait a second; I thought you had a broken leg and arm? You aren't even wearing a cast. What's going on?"

"A miss-diagnosis on my part. It was just a bad sprain. He was extremely lucky." Emma said with a wave of her hand. Hopefully Mark would pick up on her nonchalant attitude and brush it off.

Of course, she wouldn't be so lucky. Mark eyed them both suspiciously. "Emma you're one of the best EMT's in the area. I find it hard to believe that you are capable of a misdiagnosis of something as simple as a broken leg."

Emma decided to change tactics and go on the defensive. "It's not exactly easy to tell the difference between a sprain and a break with an extremely swollen leg in a watch tower with no electricity in the middle of winter. Even back here I have no access to an x-ray machine. These things do happen Mark."

Mark blushed and stuttered out, "You're right. I'm sorry. It's been an interesting few weeks."

Vegeta abruptly turned his head in Emma's direction as she let out a full laugh. "You have no idea."

Vegeta rolled his eyes at the ridiculous humans. He was quickly growing bored with the insufferable male. "If you'll excuse us, Emma and I were in the middle of supper."

Emma immediately began to flush and Mark looked between the two with curiosity. He cleared his throat and turned his attention back to Emma. "Um, yeah, I have some stuff I need to take care of." Mark let his fingers graze down Emma's arm and Vegeta watched as she frowned. "I'll see you soon in the office right?"

Vegeta ground his teeth together as he watched the male touch Emma. He told himself his feelings were very rational based on saiyan tradition. Obviously humans were more openly affectionate with one another, but that was something Vegeta would never understand. On Planet Vegeta no male would ever place his hands on a female that wasn't his own, and they _especially_ would never do it in the presence of others. It just wasn't something that was done. Any physical interaction with your mate was something that was done in private.

Emma pulled her arm back quickly. "I'll be around." She walked over to the door and held it open for him. "Have a good night Mark." Mark hung his head in defeat and said his goodbyes to the pair and quietly left.

He would never admit it, but Vegeta's already oversized ego got a good boost over Emma choosing to spend her time with him over the human's. He wasn't sure why he was so elated, he was the Prince of all Saiyans, his company should be the obvious choice.

Vegeta was surprised to see Emma glaring at him with an angry stare. "I should slap the hell out of you."

Vegeta scoffed. "It would do you more harm than good. You should be thanking me, obviously you do not return the male's affection. I merely helped him along."

Emma rolled her eyes and stalked past him towards the kitchen. "I'm not as stupid as you think I am. I said I _should _slap you, not that I was aching for a broken hand. You're an idiot."

Instead of feeling offended at her insult as he normally would, he was finding the situation comical. "I do not like that man. His pheromones were completely out of control."

Emma choked on the sip of wine she was drinking and laughed lightly. "I haven't really thought about it until now, but I guess I don't really like him either."

Vegeta nodded his head, pleased with her answer. "Would you like me to eliminate him?"

Emma looked down at her forgotten plate of food and quietly said, "Is that what you normally would do to people you aren't particularly fond of? Eliminate them?"

Vegeta took his place back at the table and began eating again. Without looking at her he said, "Yes."

Emma nodded her head slowly. "You've killed a lot of people." It wasn't a question, she already knew the answer. When Vegeta merely grunted at her she pushed forward. "You would kill again?" Ah waited a beat and received no answer, so he pushed more. "Did you kill because you were raised to, or because Frieza demanded it?"

Emma knew she pushed too far when she saw the bowl crack in Vegeta's hands. He stared down at the food that spilled over his fingers but made no move to clean it up. "I was wondering if those unsufferable women had opened their mouths to speak on a subject they knew nothing about." Vegeta looked up at Emma and she knew she was in trouble. Anger danced in his eyes, and she was sure that this saiyan was someone that you didn't want to piss off.

"I will say this once and once only. I am the last living full-blooded of my warrior race. I am alive only because of the strength of my mind and my back. I have seen and done things so horrible you probably couldn't comprehend them all. I have exterminated entire races, planets and solar systems and I have no regret for the things I've done. I have killed, and I have no doubt I will kill again. While I have done many things that would make your skin crawl in the name of Frieza I will never again be controlled by someone else. I live by my instincts, and my instincts are at the root of it all, evil. I answer to no one for my actions, for there is no one that could judge me." He narrowed his eyes at Emma as she paled considerably and said, "Do not ask me questions if you cannot handle the answers. I can assure you they will be nothing you want to hear."

Emma was quiet or a moment, digesting all of the information Vegeta had given her. She cleared her throat and quietly asked, "How old were you when you went to kill for Frieza?"

Vegeta gazed at her steadily and said, "I don't remember."

"Were you young?" She whispered.

Vegeta's eyes hardened as he answered. "Too young."

Emma nodded her head and forced herself to look up into his eyes, "You want me to be afraid of you."

Vegeta sneered. "You should be."

Emma shook her head slightly, "I'm not."

Vegeta pushed himself up so violently that the chair he was sitting in broke under his force. He stalked to the door and just before pulling it clean off it's hinges he looked back at her and said, "I know." He then took off into the night sky without another word.


	7. Chapter 6

**Thanks to Betterdays623, Spellweaver10 and Merifaye for your reviews!**

**Merifaye: I took your advice with my new OC I'm adding to this story :) He's a minor character, but he plays a part none the less!**

**Spellweaver10- I won't tell you where it goes, but I plan on spending a good amount of time developing the characters and their relationship. I personally view Vegeta especially pre-Buu to be very prideful and that humans are inferior to him and that's why he takes whatever he's offered with no problem, to me he feels entitled. Also I created my OC to be very naive. I had always wondered how Vegeta would act with a weaker person and how their relationship would develop. We have a while to go yet :) I hope that helps explain it better!**

* * *

Emma had really done it this time. She should have known better than to push Vegeta. The man was full of secrets and it was obvious they would not be divulged easily, or even at all. It had been weeks and she hadn't seen even a glimpse of him. The snow had been plowed and she fell back into her routine and after a few days, she figured her wild encounter with the alien Prince had come to an end.

If only she hadn't pushed so hard. By nature she had an extreme thirst for information, and the Saiyan Prince was a well of it. Her mind had been clouded by thoughts of him for weeks. If only she would have done this, or didn't do this… it was driving her nuts.

"Hey Em, you okay in there?"

Emma shook her head of her thoughts, "Sorry Mark, I'm a little out of it today. I have the maps. Give me the description of our missing person." She was about to go out on a Search and Rescue mission. The mountain trails in the area were always treacherous, and there was always some poor soul who decided to tackle them during the winter. In the mountains the weather was always unpredictable and the snow banks could mask a number of dangers. The snow could be too soft and you could slide right off the bank, step onto a false ledge, a number of things.

Mark eyed her carefully. "If you aren't 100% you shouldn't be going out today. I can assign someone else."

Emma shook her head, she needed this. She needed to get out there and to clear her mind. "No I'm good, just tired. I'm not going out today. I'm heading the base and sending the dogs and their handlers out."

"Well if you're sure. He's been missing for 3 days, his name is Hiroki Kasho, male, 6 foot even, 205 pounds. He has dark brown hair, a trimmed beard. Last seen wearing an orange vest with denim pants. Make sure your team knows they have to be careful with him. He's a known out of season hunter and poacher. There's a good chance he went up there alone to do some illegal grizzly hunting and will be armed. He has been known to defend himself if he feels threatened so proceed with caution." Mark handed her a few bags containing clothing. "Here are the scent packs, everything has been worn recently and unwashed so we have a good chance of them picking up the scent."

Emma took down the information and bid Mark farewell. She made it back to her cabin where they decided to set up base since she was the closest to the location where they found Hiroki's truck. She relayed all the information to the team and set up her laptop, maps and radios to keep in touch with them, now it was just time to play the waiting game.

* * *

Vegeta was frustrated. Gohan was progressing tremendously, and he thought that he would progress as well while training the teenager but found that his power levels were remaining the same. He had been training with Gohan for the past week and instead of blowing off steam it was frustrating him further.

It was all that damn woman's fault. Who was she to be unafraid of him? He was the Prince of all Saiyans, feared by all. He could kill her with a mere twist of his arm, yet he didn't. The shelter she provided him with was sufficient as well as the food and for the most part she left him alone, as he preferred. But occasionally the insufferable woman would try to stick her nose into business that was of no concern to her.

She had succeeded in getting under his skin, and it was enough to want him to blow Gohan's head off.

"Vegeta, I need to go home. I have to get ready for my exams." Gohan said pulling Vegeta out of his thoughts.

Vegeta sneered at the younger saiyan. "Why trouble yourself with human tasks? This should be of no concern to a saiyan."

Gohan scratched the back of his head and giggled nervously. "Maybe not, but my mother is scarier than any saiyan I've encountered." Vegeta frowned and unexpectedly blasted Gohan right off of his feet. Gohan frowned and slowly pushed himself to his knees. "What the heck was that for?"

Vegeta crossed his arms and smirked down at the half-saiyan on his knees before him. "You should be more wise in choosing your words."

Gohan rubbed his head, "Gosh Vegeta, it was just a joke. She is really scary though."

* * *

"_We are picking up on a scent trail, one of the dogs just alerted. I think we are closing in on him now. I'm in sector 5 now."_

Emma pulled out her topographical map and scanned the sector the team was in. She picked up the radio and spoke into it, "Towards the north east of sector 5 is a lake so if he's smart you'll probably find him somewhere in that direction. We will have to dispatch helicopters if he's injured, there are no access roads. Keep me updated, over and out."

Emma cut the line and began to pace impatiently. She had no doubt that Hiroki would be found, the state he would be found in is a different story. Emma kept fighting off a nasty chill, there was just something that wasn't sitting right with her about the situation and it was beginning to make her feel very uneasy.

* * *

"You are weak if you will listen to the wishes of a mere human woman." Vegeta spoke arrogantly.

Gohan shrugged his shoulders and stretched out his aches and pains. "She's my mother, you can't tell me you weren't afraid of your mom."

Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest and turned away from him. "I had no mother."

Gohan rolled his eyes at Vegeta's arrogance. Leave it to the Prince of all Saiyans to claim he just popped out of thin air. "Come on Vegeta, everyone was born from someone."

Vegeta sneered and spit out some of the blood that was still lingering on his tongue from their last spar. "I was born because it was necessary for the King to have an heir. I was born to a nameless woman whose identity I never learned or cared to know."

Gohan frowned, what an idiot. He had to just open his stupid mouth. "Uh, sorry Vegeta," he apologized awkwardly.

Vegeta rolled his eyes and said, "Shut up. Just leave and go home to your foolish mother."

Normally Gohan would defend his mother's honor, but maybe Vegeta was right and he should watch his tongue. He wasn't exactly afraid of Vegeta, but he was someone that he definitely didn't want to piss off. Without another word Gohan flew away towards home.

* * *

Emma was nervous. It had been two hours since she last made radio contact with the team. They usually kept their radios silent unless absolutely necessary to reserve batteries. It was not strange to go a couple of hours in silence, but something wasn't right… she could feel it.

Finally she couldn't stand it anymore. "Base to camp, this is Emma. What's your location?" Emma waited a full minute and felt the hair on the back of her neck begin to stand up at the completely silence. "Base to camp, are you there?"

Again, there was silence. Emma shakily pulled open her laptop and pinged the GPS trackers that were linked into the radios, and received nothing. There was no response from the trackers, the radios had either been turned off or destroyed. They weren't out there near long enough for their batteries to drain, even in the cold.

Something had gone terribly wrong.

* * *

Vegeta was restless. After Gohan left he took out his frustration on a number of trees and a delicious deer that happened to cross his path. No matter how hard he focused on training he was just getting more and more frustrated. Training had always been his way to blow off steam, and now it just wasn't cutting it.

Vegeta stripped and cleansed his wounds in the icy river. The cold shocked his skin and instantly made him alert. He ran the cold water through his hair and scrubbed his face vigorously. After flaring his ki to dry his skin he quickly dressed and decided what to do next.

He was bored, tired, frustrated and hungry. With Kakarot gone he didn't have a full time partner to spar with. Gohan was too busy trying his best to be human and his younger brother Goten was a mere infant. He could always go back to the gravity chamber at Capsule Corp, but then he would have to deal with the insufferable Brief family once again. He decided he would rather deal with a thousand questions from Emma than deal with five minutes of Bulma's constant badgering.

Before he really even realized it he was flying toward's Emma's cabin in the woods.

"What do you mean you can't dispatch a chopper? These people's lives are on the line! Not only do I have an S&amp;R victim who has been missing for days I now have 4 people and their dogs who have fallen out of radio contact! People's lives are at stake here!"

"_I'm sorry ma'am. We can't dispatch until the morning. The snow will be starting up again within the hour and visibility will go down to zero."_

Out of frustration Emma threw her notes against the wall. "I can give you the exact coordinates down to a God damned 5 square mile radius and you won't even send anyone out to try? _People are going to die!"_

"Well you seem especially vivacious this evening."

Emma whirled around and glared at the Prince with wide eyes. "You're back," she whispered.

Vegeta rolled his eyes, "Obviously."

Emma tuned back into her conversation and said. "I hope to God I find those people alive because if I don't you will feel my wrath come down on your head." Emma tossed the phone down on the table and turned back to Vegeta. "I need your help."

Personally, Vegeta was enjoying watching Emma's conversation. This as definitely a new side of her that he wasn't aware existed. Apparently the woman had some spunk after all. He smirked down at her and said, "How interesting."

Emma snarled and marched up to him, taking him completely by surprise when she grabbed his chest plate and glared into his eyes. "Does it _look_ like I'm fucking around?"

For the first time in a long time Vegeta found himself almost enamored. Her face was flushed with fury and her eyes were sparkling with anger. It had been a long time since he had seen a female so enticing. If he wouldn't have been so frustrated the last few weeks he wouldn't have even noticed the allure she held. The passion he saw in her gaze reminded him of a saiyan. He smirked at her and said, "You are quite enticing when you are angry Emma."

If Emma wouldn't have been so wound up her mouth would have dropped to the floor at his comment, but in her current state she couldn't have cared less if he thought of her as a fat cow. "I have a search and rescue party out there that's fallen out of radio contact. I know where they are located within a five mile radius and the company that runs our medical helicopters are complete morons and won't fly out a chopper. I have half a mind to ask you to go out there right now and blast them all away."

Vegeta raised his brow at her. "You _are_ angry."

Emma began pacing again and raked her fingers through her hair. She willed herself to breath evenly and turned back towards Vegeta. "There are 4 people out there, 4 dogs and a victim they were out searching for. I _know_ something terrible has happened. They are all in danger. I don't really know how to explain it, have you ever just had the feeling where you _know_?"

Vegeta recalled receiving the news from Frieza that his planet had been eliminated by a meteor shower. He remembered the feeling in his gut that told him otherwise. He knew from the moment Frieza opened his mouth that somehow he was responsible. "What do you expect me to do about it?"

Emma once again grabbed the Prince, this time she grabbed his arms. The skin on skin contact sent a jot of electricity through Vegeta's skin. He was used to people being afraid of him, not daring to get close enough to lay their hands on him. Normally he would punish his would-be attacker immediately, but with her the feeling was strange, but not altogether unpleasant.

"I need you to take me up there. I can carry my emergency pack on my back, it's only about 10 miles north of here. I can save those people Vegeta, they don't have to die… but I need your help."

She was so interesting, Vegeta thought to himself. He could see the passion she had in her eyes for saving these people. She truly cared whether they lived or died, where he was the exact opposite. He didn't care about their lives. It would not phase him in the least of they perished on the mountaintops. But there was just something about the way she looked at him, her eyes were pleading with him.

Over the years many people had asked him for many things. They had asked him to spare their own lives, they had asked him to kill, but never had he been asked to help save people in such a way by such a woman. She looked at him like he was her only hope, it was the way the people of Earth had always looked at Kakarot, while they stared at him in fear.

Vegeta looked down at Emma and nodded once. "Stop blabbering and grab your pack, lets get this over with."


	8. Chapter 7

**Thanks to Merifaye, Betterdays623, Spellweaver10 and neeldamontalvo for your reviews!**

**About to start getting to some good stuff :)**

* * *

Vegeta watched as Emma frantically ran around the room trying to stuff whatever she could into her pack. If he knew the situation wasn't so dire to her he would find it comical. "Are you quite ready now human?" Before she could answer her radio began to crackle with white noise. Her face fell white as a sheet and she stared opened-mouthed at Vegeta. The Prince raised his brow at her and said, "What's the matter with you?"

Emma dropped her pack and ran for her laptop and began frantically typing in information. "This is impossible. That noise means one of the radios is on. When I pinged their GPS trackers they were nowhere to be found."

Vegeta continued to frown at her. "So why aren't you trying to contact the party if the radio is now on?"

Emma shook her head and grabbed the radio. "Something isn't right. You never turn your radio off, that's Search and Rescue 101, and there's no way the batteries died in all four radios and suddenly one is back on."

Vegeta sighed. "That isn't answering my question. Shouldn't you still be trying to make contact?"

Just then her computer dinged and he watched as Emma sucked in a breath as she began scanning a map. "I wanted to make sure I tracked the radio in case we lost the signal, this doesn't make sense though. Going by the GPS coordinates it's saying they're inside a mountain, unless..."

Before she could say anything else an SOS code came through on the radio. Emma went still for a moment before she grabbed the radio. "Base to Camp, responding to SOS. Are you there?" Emma waited a beat and then said, "Base to Camp, are you injured?"

Once again static came through the line. Just as Emma was about to speak into the radio again a loud, deep chuckle quietly came through the speaker. Emma immediately dropped the radio on the table and Vegeta watched as her skin lost even more color. It amazed him how easily her emotions played out on her face. There wasn't a time since he laid eyes on the woman that he couldn't tell what she was thinking just by looking at her. This time was no different, the look on her face was sheer terror. She looked over at Vegeta and whispered, "That's not the voice of one of my team."

Emma took a deep breath and picked up the radio. She held it to her lips for a moment before finally speaking. "Where is my team?"

Again the voice waited a beat before answering. "It is unfortunate for you that your Search and Rescue team would be sent out for a man who does not need rescuing."

Emma kept her eyes glue on Vegeta as she spoke again. "Where. Is. My. Team?"

"They are here with me, for now. I will contact you shortly to negotiate their return. Goodbye little one."

Immediately after his last words the crackle of the radio went silent and the GPS tracker disappeared from the monitor.

Emma put the radio down and turned towards Vegeta with a determined look in her eyes. "We are going out there."

Vegeta watched her with curiosity as she zipped up her pack and grabbed her radio. "I'm not one to follow Earthling customs but I pinned you to be a rule follower. Shouldn't you be contacting your authorities?"

Emma shook her head. "You heard what they said on the phone, they won't go out there until the snow settles. Every minute I wait their lives are more and more endangered." She put on her pack and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked up at Vegeta with sheer determination written all over her face. "Little does that sorry bastard know that I know his exact location and have a warrior Prince on my side."

Vegeta sneered at her and said, "Who says I'm on your side?"

Emma let out the breath she was holding and glared at Vegeta with sheer determination and bravery. "I did. Let's go."

* * *

Vegeta listened to Emma as she yelled out directions and flew towards her desired location. He shook he head as he realized the position he was in. How did he get screwed up in this mess? He didn't have to ask that question, he already knew it was because of the fae-witch. He had to admit, he honestly was curious to see how she was going to act in the situation she was putting herself in. She was a brave little witch, more so than he was aware. He admired her for her dedication to her team, it wasn't much unlike a warrior looking out for his fellow army in battle.

The difference between the two was that he was pretty much invincible to any human, where she was as breakable as a piece of glass.

Emma watched her GPS as they closed in on the location of where the radio pinged. It was just as she suspected, they were coming up on a mountainside. "Keep your eyes open for any opening in the rock face. There has to be a cave of some sort around here somewhere."

Vegeta rolled his eyes at the woman's orders. "I agreed to get you up here woman, I am not yours to command."

Emma rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to fuss at the surly saiyan but quickly shut her mouth as she saw the break in the rock face. Vegeta felt her fingers dig into his shoulders and he knew she must have seen the cave opening too. She had good eyesight, he had to admit. He didn't expect her to see it as fast as he did.

He waited for her to begin to panic. Any second now she was going to realize how reckless and dumb her idea was and she was going to ask him to take over and save her friends. Much to his surprise the panic he was waiting on never came.

He landed on the ledge of the split in the rock face and she quickly climbed off his back. She didn't even glance back at him as she crept towards the entrance to the cave. He quickly grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back towards him. He dropped his lips close to her ear and whispered, causing her to shiver all over at the contact. "I'm assuming you have some sort of plan?"

Emma glanced back up at him and said, "Yeah, sure. Go in there and get them out."

Vegeta sighed deeply. "You have no idea what the hell you're doing do you? A true warrior tackles nothing without a strategy in place."

Emma pushed his arm off her shoulder and grumbled, "The plan is to get in there and get my team out. I'm not worried about anything else."

Vegeta stepped back from her and let her enter the cave a few steps ahead of him. "Then you sign your own death warrant."

The cave was dark, dingy and wet. The passage they were moving along was small, but wide enough for them both to fit through. They traveled quickly and quietly, not even sharing a whisper. After walking for about five minutes the path began to widen and she made sure to creep against the shadows as they came up to a large cavern.

Her team was all there, the dogs were caged and the humans were gagged and their arms and legs bound. The cave was dimly lit by various electric lanterns, many she recognized from her own supply. What grabbed her attention more than anything else was the awful smell, and what the smell was originating from.

There were no less than 25 grizzly carcasses lined against the walls. She knew without a doubt it was Hiroki's doing. He was already a convicted poacher, and with that number of bears he was looking at serious jail time. She wanted to smack herself, she should have known better than to send her team out looking or a convicted poacher. They were all in this mess because of her.

Emma felt a hand tighten on her shoulder but was quickly pulled forward out of it's grasp. She found herself face to face with Hiroki Kasho himself.

He looked a lot like his picture, though his hair was longer and he was covered in dirt. His grip tightened painfully on her arm and he let his eyes roam over her frame. He smirked at her and said, "You will be much more of a pleasure to look at than the others."

Emma wanted to gag at his foul breath. She realized in a split second that he didn't know she was the one he had contacted through the radio and that Vegeta was no longer behind her. She knew she had to keep her pack on her back. If he found her radio he would immediately know who she was. She was at a loss for words so she simply said nothing.

He dragged her farther into the festering cavern and she could now see that her team's eyes were closed. She fought off a chill as she feared the worst. "What have you done to them?"

Hiroki laughed low and said, "Fear not little one. They are merely asleep, as you will be quite soon. They had the same misfortune of crossing my path. I am a wanted man you see, and with the addition of my score over the past few days I would be going to jail for a very long time if the wrong people were to find out."

Emma just needed to keep him talking. If she could keep him talking maybe she could find a way out of this mess since it was clear that Vegeta had abandoned her. "I do not care about whatever operation you have going, and I'm sure these people don't either. I don't even know your name, what do you plan on doing with us?"

The man stared down at her with his dark eyes and very evenly said, "I will do whatever I have to do to remain a free man." Emma felt the blood leave her face as he ripped her pack away from her and began to dig through it. "I hope you are a prepared hiker like the rest of this lot, I could use a few protein bars right..."

Emma sucked in a breath as he suddenly stopped talking. She knew immediately he had found her radio and the maps with the GPS location of the cave. There was no way she could talk her way out of this one.

Emma gasped as she felt her body being pushed against the wall. Her eyes widened as Hiroki's grimy fingers closed around her throat and he lifted her until her feet no longer touched the ground. She struggled for air as his fingers tightened. "I am no fool," he spit out. "You will be the first to pay the ultimate price and when I leave this cave your body will remain. They will never find you."

Just as the edges of Emma's vision began to get fuzzy her eyes were pained by a bright flash of light and she felt the much wanted oxygen flow freely into her lungs and she fell onto her knees. Once she got her breathing under control she picked her head up to find Hiroki lying unmoving on the floor in front of her and Vegeta standing beside her. She avoided looking at the man on the floor and glanced at Vegeta. She brought a hand to her pained throat and croaked out, "Is he?"

Vegeta shook his head. "No."

Emma crawled towards her pack and dug through it's contents. She found a small vial and a syringe and filled it with shaky hands. She made her way back to Hiroki and injected the fluid into him. "It's a sedative, this will keep him quite for a while. This must have been what he used on the others, it's standard to carry it in your emergency pack." Emma's hand were shaking so badly she couldn't even get the cap back on the syringe. She tossed it aside and ran her shaky fingers through her hair. "Stupid, so stupid. This is all my fault."

Vegeta sneered at her and said, "This is not the time for useless rambling. Get yourself together."

His words sobered her up slightly. She shook her head and said, "You're right. I can do this later. Right now I have to get these people out of here." She pulled out her cell phone and walked back to the entrance of the cavern. Vegeta followed closely behind her and the corners of her mouth twitched as she glanced back at him. "I bet those useless bastards send out a helicopter now."

* * *

Much, much later Emma found herself wearing her favorite pink pajamas in her favorite comfy chair. Her hair was tied up in a messy tail and after hours of trying she had finally gotten her crying under control. All of her team was safe and home with their families, and Hiroki was being treated for his injuries and then he would be under lock and key for a long time. Vegeta had gone missing shortly before the authorities arrived wanting to have no part in their prying, and hours later he was still missing.

Emma threw down what she vowed to be her last tissue just as Vegeta came in the room. She put down her book and said nothing as he turned on an additional lamp and he leaned down closer to her. She peered up at him and he frowned. "Why is your face red and puffy, is it a side effect from the lack of oxygen?"

Emma shook her head solemnly. "It's from crying Vegeta."

Vegeta scoffed and said, "Crying? What a waste of time and energy. You came out victorious. There is no call for tears. What purpose is there for them?"

Emma shrugged her shoulders and looked down at her fingers. "I guess it's a stress reliever. Today's events have been highly stressful if you haven't noticed, it's the only way I can release."

Vegeat smirked at her and said, "I can think of at least one way to relive stress much more efficiently besides useless tears."

Emma looked at him with confusion but noticed he was no longer smirking at her. He was looking at her neck and frowning. He reached out and lightly lifted her chin with his fingers. She knew he was looking at the bruising on her neck. She quickly pulled the blanket that was draped in her lap up to her chin. She looked away from him and said, "It looks much worse than it is, I assure you."

"I am displeased that he left a mark on you." Vegeta said evenly.

Emma hiccuped out a chuckle and said, "Yeah well I'm pretty sure he's displeased with his broken sternum." Vegeta straightened to his full height but continued to stare down at her. "May I ask you something?" She asked quietly.

Vegeta raised a brow and said, "Might as well, you're going to do it anyway no matter what I say."

Emma nodded slightly and said, "Can I ask why you didn't kill him?"

Vegeta frowned and said, "I got the impression that killing wasn't something you were too keen on."

Emma shrugged. "It's not, but that's me… not you. Why didn't _you _do it?"

Vegeta stared at her evenly for a moment and then turned and left the room without another word. Emma let out the breath she was holding and sighed. She shouldn't be too surprised, it's not like he had ever given her a straight-forward answer before.

In frustration she pulled the blanket from her lap over her head, but quickly pulled it back down when she noticed something that was on the side-table that wasn't there before.

Next to the book she had put down when she noticed Vegeta coming in the room was an ice-cold cup of water complete with a straw that could only have come from none other than the surly saiyan himself.

Until then Emma hadn't given any thought to her relationship with Vegeta, whether it be platonic or not… hell, or even if they were friends. It simply wasn't something that had ever crossed her mind. But today in a matter of hours Vegeta had saved her life and brought her a cup of water. She knew next to nothing about the man, though she figured even she knew more than most.

Be that as it may there were a few things she was sure of: The Prince of Saiyans did not care about human lives, nor did he care to go out of his way for anyone but himself. Yet today he had saved the lives of multiple humans including herself just because she asked, and she was staring at a cup of water he left for her.

So what exactly did that mean for her?


End file.
